Italian company has developed a revolutionary cable crane for applications in forestry and construction

Summary

Profile Type

Technology offer

POD Reference

TOIT20240611009

Term of Validity

11 June 2024 - 11 June 2025

Company's Country

Italy

Type of partnership

Investment agreement

Targeted Countries

All countries

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General information

Short Summary

HULK is world’s first hybrid self-propelled carriage (cable crane) for applications in forestry and construction. Due to its innovative and patented hybrid drivetrain and propulsion concepts, it vastly outperforms all existing carriages in terms of speed, power, and efficiency. This makes it the ideal transport solution even in the toughest terrains and applications, irrespective of cableway length, slope, or other transport conditions.

Full Description

Leitalpin is a young and small, but highly innovative company located in Italy, founded to develop the patented concept of the hybrid self-propelled carriage HULK.
Together with local partners, a first prototype and a close-to-production ready model have been developed and tested on our cableway.
The carriage HULK vastly outperforms all competitor’s solutions in terms of speed and power. It achieves twice the speed and three to four times the power of the fastest and most powerful carriages on today’s market.
Due to its patented hybrid concept and propulsion module, HULK is also very efficient. It is fully automated and safe, providing a number of key safety features and redundant brakes acting on the propulsion- and skyline cables.
HULK can be effectively employed for all transport jobs of conventional Diesel-hydraulic carriages. But due to its extreme speed and power, its application also extends to very steep and long cableways, with the possibility of replacing or complementing cableway installations with sled winches or tower yarders.
HULK has applications in cable logging, with the main market being the European Alps, and other mountainous woodlands. An additional and equally attractive market is the sector of material transport on construction sites, which is a global market.
HULK is a radical innovation when compared to existing solutions. Close competitors are unlikely due to several reasons. First, Leitalpin invested more than five years and a lot of resources in the optimization of this technology. Second, several key solutions are protected by patents. Third, despite the attractive market potential, this is a niche application. Given the risks involved, it is very unlikely that a competitor would undergo such a tough and costly development.
A first prototype of HULK has already been tested since early 2021. In early 2024, a close to production ready version has been commissioned and is now being tested on our cableway. The project has achieved TRL level 7-8. In parallel to the currently running testing phase, latest optimizations should be made in preparation for the manufacturing of a first pre-series. The main patent protecting the hybrid concept of HULK has been granted and passed the nationalization stage in key selected countries. Additional patents have passed the review stages.
Leitalpin is now seeking an established company interested to acquire and industrialize HULK. Different business constellations such as a full acquisition or joint ventures can be discussed. Preferably the acquirer is a company with experience in design, optimization, and manufacturing of heavy equipment. This requires specific know-how in mechanical design (3D CAD), electrical engineering, electronics, and industrial PLC programming. Field testing, sales and service could be pursued by specialist firms, which already expressed their large interest to collaborate. Leitalpin is prepared to guide latest optimizations, as well as the development of related products on site.

CHECK VIDEOS OF HULK HERE: https://www.leitalpin.com/en/Projects/

Advantages and Innovations

Harvesting wood on steep slopes is time-consuming and costly, and the work is dangerous. The same is true for transport applications at construction sites. State-of-the-art technology is required to be able to work economically, efficiently, and universally. Our answer is a patented, completely newly developed, high-performance, electric, self-propelled carriage (named HULK) for universal use, with all the advantages of modern electric drive and energy storage technology.
Usually, technological advancements arrive in small incremental steps. HULK on the other hand sets completely new performance standards. Existing carriages achieve a velocity of at most 6 m/s on flat terrain, while HULK enables a speed of 12 m/s even uphill. This is possible thanks to its patented hybrid concept, incorporating three to four times the power at similar machine dimensions and weight.
HULK is a completely newly developed solution, which allowed us to optimize the design across many dimensions. In particular, we optimized the:
 Safety via redundant brakes in the traction module and emergency skyline brakes in both carrier modules; automated detection of cable breakage; a very reliable derailing mechanism
 Efficiency via dramatic fuel savings via hybrid concept; up to energy autarkic operation downhill
 Cable wear via two-wire setup and a patented propulsion module with minimum cable wear, despite very high cable speeds
 Operating cost via next to no maintenance requirements; low fuel consumption; simple and easy to install solutions, not requiring pretension in the propulsion cable

More information about HULK can be found under: https://www.leitalpin.com/en/Projects/

Stage of Development

Available for demonstration

Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

IPR status

IPR granted

IPR notes

The brand name HULK is protected via an EU trademark. Key technical solutions are protected by multiple international patents, which are either granted or in earlier IPR stages. In addition, there are numerous innovations in our development which are kept strictly secret.

Partner Sought

Expected Role of a Partner

The company is seeking an established company interested to acquire and industrialize HULK. Different business constellations such as a full acquisition or joint ventures can be discussed. Preferably the acquirer is a company with experience in design, optimization, and manufacturing of heavy equipment. This requires specific know-how in mechanical design (3D CAD), electrical engineering, electronics, and industrial PLC programming. Field testing, sales and service could be pursued by specialist firms, which already expressed their large interest to collaborate. Leitalpin is prepared to guide latest optimizations, as well as the development of related products on site

Type and Size of Partner